Nanny of the Year 2017 Excuse me for descending upon you in true Mary Poppins style, but when else am I going to get the opportunity to do this? When Christina posted the picture of Mary Poppins flying over Chicago, I knew she was talking to me! Being a nanny has provided me with more gifts, tangible and intangible, than I could ever imagine. As a nanny, I have had the opportunity to help families live the lifestyles they want, I have shaped the minds and lives of our future leaders, the connections I have formed have stunned me with their depth and their power. Being a Nanny however is not easy, we don t just fly around with our umbrellas, or ride merry go rounds all day. Being a Nanny is one of the toughest jobs in the world, we need a to have many skills, we need to perform many task and we need to be a parent, a friend, a teacher, a clown, a nose wiper, a librarian,
a toy picker upper, a driver, a cook, the list goes on and on. I am not going to sing it or the hotel management will wonder what is going on!! But Jane and Michael Banks definition of a perfect nanny was: If you want this choice position Have a cheery disposition Rosy cheeks, no warts! Play games, all sorts You must be kind, you must be witty Very sweet and fairly pretty Take us on outings, give us treats Sing songs, bring sweets Never be cross or cruel Never give us castor oil or gruel Love us as a son and daughter And never smell of barley water If you won't scold and dominate us We will never give you cause to hate us We won't hide your spectacles So you can't see
Put toads in your bed Or pepper in your tea So, what is a Nanny? What is it that we do? How do we define our profession? As the Nanny of the Year it is my goal to tell the world what it is that we do, what it is that we stand for and why our jobs are so important. I challenge you, I would like you to think what your definition of a perfect Nanny is, write it down at the end of today and to post it on the INA Facebook Page dedicated to the conference, I would love to read your thoughts! If you are not on Facebook, write it on a piece of paper and come and find me at the end of the conference and hand it to me, include your name and how I can reach you. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who nominated me, (Tonya, Annie, Alene, Grainne, Jenny and Elizabeth,) I would also like to thank everyone who supported me throughout this journey and everyone who wasn t able to be here to celebrate today, they are truly missed and I plan
on partying with them soon. I would like to thank The International Nanny Association, in particular Marcia and Kellie and my fellow nominees, Laura, Kenda, Catelin and Kelly, you are formidable opponents and I am delighted to have had you as my partners in this journey. I would like to thank my parents for raising me to be the person I am today and my husband who puts up with all my Poppiness. I would also like to thank Margaret Clarke, mine and Helen s former tutor at college, she was and is a true inspiration. Most of all however, I would like to thank Helen, she has been a wonderful Nanny of the Year and although we attended the same college in the UK we never met till last year. She is a true professional who deeply cares about children and our profession, I know I have a busy year ahead and I hope to be able to continue the good work Helen has done over the past 12 months. I will stop now as this is sounding more and more like an Oscar acceptance speech and someone will nudge me soon and tell me to shut up!
As Mary Poppins once said, in every job that must be done there is an element of fun! I hope you have enjoyed the conference, I know I have, I hope that you will leave here with a lot of useful information, I hope you will share your thoughts with your colleagues and I hope that you will help share what INA is all about. It has been a true a privilege speaking to you from this position today, and this moment is one that I shall cherish for the rest of my life.